Post by Lunna March 26, 2013 (1 of 31)
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Anyone else have any views on this one? Worth it sound-wise?
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Post by Nagraboy March 26, 2013 (2 of 31)
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Mono from a 78, isn't it?
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Lunna said:
Anyone else have any views on this one? Worth it sound-wise?
Mono, done well, is a revelation. It could very well be worth the cost as the resolution and sound can be enhanced. I see no reason not to try it if someone likes this performance.
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Post by Lute March 27, 2013 (4 of 31)
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Yes, this is worth it!! This new SACD release is a significant improvement on my 1989 RBCDs, which sound thin and tired.
The original recordings took place at 3 different times: 25 November 1936, 2-3 June 1938, and 13-16 June 1939. The sound is generally consistent, but a few tracks sound their age more than others. On these SACDs Casals's incomparable performance of these works sounds remarkably full and clear. It's amazing considering it is 75 years old!! There is some tape hiss, but it is at a tolerable level IMO. Actually, there is more tape hiss on the RBCDs. So, obviously the sound has been cleaned up a little for this new release. Some purists might be appalled by the removal of ANY tape hiss as this often involves cutting off some of the high notes, etc... But, since this clean up has not been done heavy-handedly, I see no cause for alarm.
On the contrary, I find this release to be an absolute pleasure to listen to.
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Lute said:
Yes, this is worth it!! This new SACD release is a significant improvement on my 1989 RBCDs, which sound thin and tired.
The original recordings took place at 3 different times: 25 November 1936, 2-3 June 1938, and 13-16 June 1939. The sound is generally consistent, but a few tracks sound their age more than others. On these SACDs Casals's incomparable performance of these works sounds remarkably full and clear. It's amazing considering it is 75 years old!! There is some tape hiss, but it is at a tolerable level IMO. Actually, there is more tape hiss on the RBCDs. So, obviously the sound has been cleaned up a little for this new release. Some purists might be appalled by the removal of ANY tape hiss as this often involves cutting off some of the high notes, etc... But, since this clean up has not been done heavy-handedly, I see no cause for alarm.
On the contrary, I find this release to be an absolute pleasure to listen to.
Tape hiss on this recording? :-)
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Post by Lute March 27, 2013 (6 of 31)
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Mahler-fan said:
Tape hiss on this recording? :-)
How dare they! ;-)
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Post by Lunna March 27, 2013 (7 of 31)
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Done - on order!
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I hope it works out for you. I have had the Casals recordings on LP and CD, and have always thought the sonics dubious ... which is a polite way of saying 'most unlistenable'. Even the performance seems oddly dated and surprisingly uncompetitive with more modern renditions. Finally, as this is an EMI transfer ... which I have had such low success rates with due to their dousing the entire thing in Dettol and then nuking it so that what remains is just a weird abstracted distortion of the original ... it's pretty much the last thing I'd spend my money on ... especially when there are outstanding versions on SACD such as:
Bach: Six Suites for Solo Cello - Janos Starker
Bach: Cello Suites - Gavriel Lipkind
Bach: The Suites for Violoncello BWV 1007-1012 - André Navarra
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Post by AmonRa March 27, 2013 (9 of 31)
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Maybe it is the glorious steel wire -hiss? Well, it is a SACD: 5 stars!
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Post by Iain March 27, 2013 (10 of 31)
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canonical said:
I hope it works out for you. I have had the Casals recordings on LP and CD, and have always thought the sonics dubious ... which is a polite way of saying 'most unlistenable'. Even the performance seems oddly dated and surprisingly uncompetitive with more modern renditions. Finally, as this is an EMI transfer ... which I have had such low success rates with due to their dousing the entire thing in Dettol and then nuking it so that what remains is just a weird abstracted distortion of the original ... it's pretty much the last thing I'd spend my money on ... especially when there are outstanding versions on SACD such as:
Bach: Six Suites for Solo Cello - Janos Starker
Bach: Cello Suites - Gavriel Lipkind
Bach: The Suites for Violoncello BWV 1007-1012 - André Navarra
......and also this:
Bach: Cello Suites - Hidemi Suzuki
If you absolutely need to spend this amount of money (Casals), then the Suzuki is the one to buy.
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